Better Together
by maryacedodger
Summary: Future Fic. Lorelai and Rory face a whole new set of challenges as their families grow and their relationship changes. Thier lives may seem stable now, but people from the past will return and shake things up. Java/Lit at least for now. Review Please!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** Sadly, I don't own anything. The characters belong to the creative genius, Amy Sherman-Palladino and all of the brands/products/stores/movies etc. probably belong to people equally creative.

**Chapter 1: A Look into the Lives of the Gilmore Girls**

Her pillow still smelled like him. She clutched it close to her chest and breathed in the intoxicating aroma of Camel Frosts, weed and beer. Although the details of the previous night were a bit fuzzy, she could still feel the warmth of his body against hers. It was nights like these that made her feel alive.

She turned over to face the bed next to her. It was already made, as usual. Lexi's side of the room was always pristine. In fact, it looked like she lived in a Pottery Barn. Hannah on the other hand, found a sense of security in the fact that her dirty laundry was strewn about. "Organized chaos" she liked to call it.

"Oh my God! Stop the presses! Hannah Montana is still alive!" Lorelai exclaimed dramatically.

Although Lorelai was older, her frequent use of pop culture references never subsided. She stood leaning in the doorway and pushed back her slightly graying hair behind her ear. She then crossed her arms and exhaled loudly through her nose, just as she always did when one of her daughters disappointed her.

"Busy night, huh?" Lorelai said playfully.

"Mom, do you really think I want to talk to you right now?"

Annoyed, Hannah buried herself under the covers. Lorelai was best friends with Rory, so it shocked her to have a daughter that pushed her to her limits. What hurt most was that she knew in Hannah's eyes, she was Emily Gilmore.

"Alright, alright, you don't have to talk to me, its cool… there is coffee downstairs, it will help with the hangover and open a window, it reeks in here."

Opening the window was the last thing Hannah wanted to do. The smell of her room was the most glorious smell she could fathom.

xxx

As Lorelai wandered back into the kitchen she thought about her relationship with her daughter. If someone were to clone 16-year-old Lorelai, the result would be Hannah. They had the same dark wavy hair, the same blue eyes and the same "no one understands me" attitude. Lorelai wondered how it was possible that they were so similar yet they could hardly carry on a conversation.

"Mom, you have to do something about her," Lexi pleaded, in between bites of her Golden Grahams. If Hannah was a clone of Lorelai, then Lexi was a clone of Rory. Her light brown hair was tied back neatly in a ponytail and she wore an oversized red sweater to hide the fact that she had a shape.

"Babe, there is nothing I can do" Lorelai responded, slightly defeated.

"But this is the 3rd time this week that I've been sex-iled"

"Well, she's preparing you for college, I'm sure people at Harvard have lots of sex, it's a good stress release"

"Ew mom, please don't talk about sex" Even though Lexi was 15, just a year younger than her sister, she was still very innocent and naïve, which was part of her charm.

"Sorry, sorry… you were the one who brought it up."

"Seriously, I hate sleeping in Rory's room its creepy… like a giant time capsule or something" The room really was like a time capsule. Rory returned home for a while when she was getting her masters in journalism and when she left, no one had bothered to disrupt its natural state. She still had the box of cornstarch on her dresser and a plethora of books under her bed. As a child, Lexi often stunk into the room when Rory was away and tried to read them.

"Have you talked to your sister lately? I haven't heard from her in a while." Lorelai asked as she poured herself a mug of coffee

"She's really busy, I heard that she got a promotion… where's dad?"

"Wait, Rory got a promotion and didn't tell me?"

"Well, she actually didn't tell me either. Lorie called me last night and said something… but I wouldn't take her word for it, she _is_ 6".

Lorie, short for Lorelai Olivia Gilmore, was the 4th Lorelai. She was never afraid to speak her mind, just like her grandmother and she was wise beyond her years, much like her mother but when it came to looks, she painfully resembled her father. She had long flowing curly blonde hair. Between her looks and her wit, everyone knew that she was going to have boys lined up just to grace her presence.

Luke came into the kitchen just as Lorelai rested her head on the table, "Are you ok?" he asked his wife "You like kind of…dead".

"She's just upset because 2 of her 3 daughters are not talking to her," Lexi answered for her mother.

Lorelai lifted her head just enough to shoot a very pained look at Luke.

"Uh… Lexi why don't you go over to Sookie's and catch up with Davey and Martha?" he asked awkwardly as he went over to comfort his wife.

"Why is it that I'm always the one who has to leave? I'm the good daughter."

"Alexis, just… go. Please?"

"Alright," Lexi sighed. She put her bowl in the sink and left through the back door.

"Now… what's the matter?" Luke asked as he pulled Lorelai into his chest

"She doesn't tell us anything. She comes home at god knows what hour. And I don't know about this boy…"

"There's a boy? What boy?"

"I don't know the boy she has sex with 3 times a week"

"Urgh geeze, Lorelai…"

"Luke! She didn't even tell me that she had a boyfriend… maybe he's not her boyfriend; maybe she's sleeping around? I don't know! She doesn't talk! Rory and I talked about everything. Lexi and I talk about everything. What did I do differently?"

"This isn't your fault" Luke tried to reassure her. "Sometimes kids… they just are difficult… look at Jess. He turned out ok. You are a good mother. We are good parents. This is just…a phase".

"What if its not?" Lorelai mused, almost in a whisper.

"It is."

"Luke…" Lorelai pressed. She knew that he did take the problems with his daughter seriously to avoid getting on her bad side.

"We are not fighting about this again." Luke got up from the table and started to put on his olive green fishing jacket. "I have to go back to the diner to check on Cesar but I'll be back in an hour, we can enjoy our weekend."

He kissed his wife on the forehead before he left the house as he did every morning. As he walked out onto the front porch he paused for a moment and wondered if his wife's right. What if it wasn't a phase?

xxx

It had become a Saturday morning routine that Lorie would make her mom pancakes while she finished editing for the Sunday issue. Lorie would pull a stool up to the island in the kitchen and very precisely measure out the ingredients and pour them into a giant hot pink mixing bowl. "If I'm going to cook for you mommy, I want to look good doing it!" she said matter-of-factly a month ago in William Sonoma. Little did Rory know that the 36-dollar mixing bowl was the best investment she had ever made.

Supervising this endeavor was perhaps the most handsome man that Rory had ever dated. His deeply soulful brown eyes still made her heart melt, just as they did when she was a teenager. What made him even more attractive now was how well he took care of Lorie. Rory smiled as she looked back at the two. Lorie's hair was tied back in a curly blonde mess and she had flour all over face and her Hello Kitty pajamas. She giggled as he lightly blew the powder off of her cheeks.

Just as Rory started to settle back into her work, the phone rang.

"Mom! Hi!"

"Rory? What's that noise?" Lorelai could hear a whirring noise in the background.

"Lorie is making smoothies with Jess," Rory explained

"My grandbaby is drinking fruit?"

"Well, Jess likes to eat healthy"

"Blenders are for making milkshakes"

"You can't see me but, I'm rolling my eyes!"

"Urgh, not you too…"

"Hannah Montana giving you a hard time?"

"What happened to us?" Lorelai pondered, concerned.

"She's a teenager, she doesn't mean it," Rory said trying to console her mother.

"No I mean you and me."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean… you got a promotion and didn't tell me. My favorite daughter doesn't call in a week!"

"I didn't get a promotion mom, I've just been really busy with work and Jess is working on his 3rd book things are just kind of crazy here" Rory explained.

"So…" Lorelai began to question rather deviously, like a high school girl craving for the latest gossip, "you and Jess are spending a lot of time together?"

"Actually…" Rory paused for a moment and walked into the bedroom. She lowered her voice so that Lorie couldn't hear. "We were talking last night about him moving in here!"

"Aw, babe that's great!"

"I just don't want Lorie getting too attached… what if things don't work out?"

"Well, I think it's a little late for that. He turned my baby into a sous-chef"

"I don't want her to get hurt again"

"And by her you mean you, right?" Lorelai joked.

"As much as I would love to continue to get mocked by you, I really have to go, I have a deadline"

"Denial…they say that's the first step"

"Goodbye mom…" Rory said in a singsong voice as she made her way back to the couch.

"I'm glad that you are making progress," Lorelai continued to tease.

"I love you!"

"I always worried that you would need to spend thousands of dollars on therapy but I'm glad to see that you might be able to avoid it"

"Tell Luke that I'm sorry I left him alone to deal with you!"

"And tell Jess that if he hurts one of my babies again then I'm going to kick him where the sun don't shine!"

Rory smirked as she hung up the phone. She walked over to the kitchen and began munching on a crisp piece of bacon. The scent of it filled the entire apartment.

"Did I hear my name?" Jess asked playfully. He snatched the bacon out of her hand and kissed her lightly on the lips.

"Hey, you better watch it" Rory warned him, "Look at what happened to Narcissus…"

"What happened to Narcissus?" Lorie asked.

"He broke into a thousand tiny pieces," Rory explained.

"I hope that doesn't happen to you Jess, you haven't taught me how to make lasagna yet"

"Oh, is that all I'm good for… teaching you how to cook?"

"Well, mommy can't do it"

The two adults smiled and exchanged glances. "She's got you there dodger," Rory remarked.

"Was it your mother?" Jess continued to pry, not because he was nosy but because he genuinely cared about what was going on in the lives of the Gilmore girls. If Lorelai was important to Rory, then she was important to him as well.

"Yeah she sounded kinda upset," Rory explained.

"Grandma called! I needed to tell her about my play at school!" Lorie's voice was dripping with excitement.

"You can call her back after breakfast," Rory ordered.

"But, I can make her feel better!" Lorie climbed down from the stool and almost ran to pick up the phone.

"Lorie, put down the phone," Jess patted the seat of her chair "Come sit down and enjoy all this food you just made"

"Ok…" Lorie sighed with disappointment, "But after breakfast, you _promise_ I can call grandma?"

"Yes" Rory reassured her daughter.

While Jess brought the food to the table and poured everyone glasses of freshly squeezed orange juice, the girls continued their conversation.

"Why is she sad?" Lorie's concern for others was very endearing.

"Hannah isn't following her rules"

"I always follow the rules" the young girl replied proudly.

Rory and Jess exchanged glances again.

"I never want to make you upset mommy," It was moments like these that made Rory's heart melt.

"Why thank you, Lorie," She replied, "I don't want to make you upset either".

The three began to eat their breakfast and discuss their plans for the upcoming week. Rory appreciated her daughter's and Jess' hard work, but she couldn't get her mothers words out of her head. "Are we growing apart?" Rory thought to herself, "Its only natural to grow away from your mother… Right?"

**Author's Note:** Please let me know what you think. This is my first fan fiction ever and I would really appreciate the feedback. Also, if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. Depending on the direction of the story, I might have to change the rating to M. Also, just to clarify, my story takes place about 16 years after the end of the show. I am not changing any of the details of the past so if you notice any discrepancies PLEASE feel free to point them out. It drives me crazy when I find them in other stories.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** Sadly, I don't own anything. The characters belong to the creative genius, Amy Sherman-Palladino and all of the brands/products/stores/movies etc., probably belong to people equally creative.

**Chapter 2: The Calm Before the Storm**

The apartment over the diner had become Lexi's sanctuary. She often hid up there when things got crazy at home. Alexis never resented the fact that she was often overlooked; it was just the way things seemed to work out. Rory was commended because she was the oldest and everything she achieved seemed to have a certain level of prestige. Hannah was fretted over because everything she did was wild, crazy and could potentially lead to jail time. Lorie commanded attention because she was cute and precocious. Lexi hated being in the spotlight. She much preferred being tucked away in the office turned living quarters with a good book. This week she was reading _Merchant of Venice_... she was going through a Shakespeare stage.

"Antonio is totally in love with Bassanio," Lexi stated the obvious, "That must suck. Being in love with your best friend and never being able to do anything about it…"

Martha, Sookie's daughter, was in the kitchen area of the apartment. She was buttering pieces of bread to make grilled cheese. Martha was slightly older than Hannah but in the same grade. She was very edgy, the kind of girl who wore a short black cocktail dress and pink converse to prom. She had recently gotten a very feminine pixie haircut with a purple side swoop coming across the left half of her face. Sookie and Jackson didn't particularly care for it, but they always encouraged her to express her individuality.

"Well, if I ever fall in love with you, I'll tell you" Martha responded jokingly over the sizzling of the cold butter hitting the hot pan.

"That's good to know," Lexi replied as she went back to her reading.

When Martha finished making the grilled cheese, she cut it into four triangular pieces. She brought the food over to where her friend was reading and sat next to her on the couch. Martha laid down, placing her head in Lexi's lap.

"Is it true that you hooked up with Josh last night?" She asked nonchalantly in between bites of her sandwich.

"No! That was Hannah" Lexi corrected.

"Dude, how do people fuck that up? I mean, I know you guys have the same last name and all… but the similarities pretty much end there"

"I know, it's crazy right?"

"Josh is pretty bangin' though. Your sister's got good taste."

"It's not going to last. It never does," Lexi said solemnly.

"Now, now, let's not be cynical, even Hannah deserves love."

Lexi sighed, "I know she's my sister, and I'm not supposed to think this, but she's kind of…"

Before Lexi could finish her sentence, Hannah did it for her.

"Slutty?" She guessed.

Lexi and Martha got quiet. The three of them used to be best friends. They did almost everything together, but things started to change when Hannah transferred to Chilton for high school. The children of high society had somehow managed to corrupt her. Hannah entered the apartment, helped herself to the grilled cheese on the coffee table, and sat down on the couch next to them as if she was invited.

"It's ok, I know you're just jealous because you're not getting any action" Hannah commented as she exchanged her piece of grilled cheese for a cigarette. She took a long drag and blew the smoke out slowly through her nose. She looked at the girls, encouraging them to continue with their conversation.

"How did things go with Josh?" Martha decided to be brave and break the silence.

"Good, we left the party at like 2 and went to the bridge to blaze"

"2 o'clock in the morning?! You know, we do have a curfew" Lexi didn't mean to sound like a killjoy or a prude but she was worried about her sister.

"Lexi, they aren't going to notice if you're out late on a weekend. Seriously, have you seen mom and dad together? They're all over each other. It's like watching re-runs of 7th Heaven."

"She does have a point Lex," Martha smirked, "I mean it's cute that they're still in love and everything but... Lorelai and Luke could afford to take the PDA down a notch."

"Is dad downstairs?" Hannah asked, "I'm gonna peace."

"He probably is by now," Lexi answered. "You should put that out," she advised, referring to the cigarette.

Hannah abidingly stomped out the cigarette and brushed out the wrinkles in her denim mini skirt. As she left the apartment, Lexi went back to reading her book and Martha flipped through the latest edition Cosmo while carefully painted her toenails to match her hair.

xxx

Hannah thought she could make a clean escape. Sadly, things didn't work out that way.

"Hannah, come here for a second?" Luke asked. He could see that his daughter was trying to bolt out of the diner.

Hannah obeyed her father's orders and sat down at the counter. She helped herself to a glazed donut because she knew it would annoy him.

"You're mom was kind of worried about you this morning and I was just wondering if there was anything you wanted to talk about," Luke asked awkwardly.

"Nope, I'm cool," Hannah replied as she looked around the diner. She wanted to be anywhere else but here.

"Are you sure?"

"Yup."

"Well, if you change you mind, you know where to find me." Luke turned his back to start brewing another pot of coffee. He heard his daughter get up from the stool.

"Hey, where are you going?" he called out to Hannah.

"Out," she replied cryptically as she left the diner.

The bell on the door jingled as it closed behind her.

"Well," Luke sighed, "at least I asked…"

xxx

"Grandma, who is your favorite Disney princess?" Lorie asked as she climbed up onto her bed. The headboard was shaped like a crown and the bed itself was overflowing with an abundance of pink and purple pillows, and various stuffed animals. She had changed from her pajamas into a tutu and she playfully bounced up and down on the bed as she talked to her grandmother on the phone.

"I always liked Cinderella because she had the cutest shoes," Lorelai explained. She was sitting on her kitchen counter looking around at how empty the house was. It was suspiciously clean too. "Was the house ever this clean when it was just me and Rory?" She couldn't remember.

"Jess told me that Cinderella was a bad role model for little girls because she was helpless without her prince, " Lorie responded. Not only did she highly respect Jess' opinions, Lorie also had a very independent attitude- much like the Lorelai's that came before her.

"Well, who do you like missy?"

"I like Belle because she is beautiful and she likes to read and she isn't shallow; she fell in love with the prince even when she thought he was just a beast"

Lorelai was often amazed at the things that came out of Lorie's mouth. It was hard to believe that she was so young. Lorelai had to think about how to respond. "Hmm, Belle has a pretty good fashion sense too, she got to wear that yellow ballroom gown"

"Grandma! You can't just like a princess because of what they wear," Lorie somewhat reprimanded.

"You're right, you're right, but a girl's style can tell a lot about her character, remember that."

"Ok…" Lorie's mind began to wonder and she suddenly became very excited. "Hey grandma! Guess what!" she exclaimed.

"What?" Lorelai asked, echoing the enthusiasm in the child's voice.

"I'm going to see you next week!"

"You are?" Lorelai was thoroughly confused.

"Yeah, mommy said that we were going to go to Friday dinner at Nana Emily and Papa Richard's house and you were going to be there too!"

"Well… I can't wait to see my favorite granddaughter."

"I'm your only granddaughter."

"But you are still my favorite."

"You're silly," Lorie giggled.

"So are you!" Lorelai teased. "Hey, can I talk to your mom?"

"She's not here right now. Do you want to talk to Jess?… I'll go get him!" Lorie jumped off the bed and went to into the kitchen where Jess has cleaning up. Before Lorelai could refuse, Jess had already answered the phone.

"Lorelai?" Jess was surprised that she would want to talk to him.

"Jess?" Lorelai could not believe that this was happening.

"It's good to hear from you," Jess said politely

"Likewise," Lorelai replied with a forced smile… she didn't even know why she was smiling. Its not like Jess could actually see her.

"How are Luke and the girls?"

"Luke is well… you know Luke. And the girls are fine."

"Yeah, well, fine never means anything good."

"Well Hannah is kinda giving us a run for our money."

"Well it's about time," Jess scoffed. "You got lucky with Rory and possibly even luckier with Alexis"

"Yeah, I guess I did." Lorelai was usually never pessimistic, but lately, she had a hard time seeing the good things in her life. Surprisingly, talking to Jess was making her feel better.

"Did Rory tell you that we were coming up for Friday dinner next week?" Jess changed the subject.

"No… but Lorie did."

"It will be…nice. You know, having everyone together," Jess said kind of slowly. As the words were coming out of his mouth, he thought back to his strained history with the Gilmore's. He never thought he would be looking forward to spending time with them.

"Yeah, it will" Lorelai smiled at the thought of her family being together again. Although she still entertained herself by poking fun at Emily, their relationship had improved a great deal.

"Well… I'll see you then," Jess interrupted her train of thought.

"Right, see you then."

Although the conversation with Jess was a bit awkward, she was happy and somewhat proud of what Jess had become. She could not believe that he was the same boy who crashed her daughter's car and broke her daughter's arm. He had now published two books, the second of which had almost made the bestseller list. He was living in a trendy apartment in Soho and he had become a father figure to Lorie. Despite his accomplishments, Lorelai wasn't ready to see Rory settle down with him. It wasn't just the simple issue of letting go of her first born that troubled Lorelai. What she really couldn't understand was the fact that her daughter's life finally seemed to be falling into place while she could feel her own life slowly slipping through her fingers.

xxx

Rory sat at a booth by the window in Starbucks. She never thought she would give into the chain's consumerism but there were almost two Starbucks per block in the city and it was convenient. Rory sipped her quad venti caramel macchiato and continued to work on her laptop. She loved her daughter and Jess more than anything, but they were quite a distraction. She got almost as much work done at the coffee shop on the corner as she did at her own office. Just as she was finishing up, she nervously looked down at her watch and quickly moved her eyes up to look at the bar.

He was here. Just like he said he would be. He was wearing a blue-stripped collared shirt underneath a charcoal grey argyle sweater. He had the sleeves neatly rolled up so you could see his defined forearms. "His looks have gotten better with age... like cheese. or wine," Rory thought to herself. As he walked over to the booth where she was sitting, Rory could feel her heart racing and a lump forming in the throat. "Maybe this was a mistake" she continued to ponder, "Things are going so well with Jess, why mess it up now?" He sat down across from her and took a sip of his chai tea latte. He put the cup down and ran his finger seductively around the perimeter of the plastic lid. He locked eyes with Rory. They were silent for a moment. Both of them were thinking about everything that had happened in the past and what they could have done differently.

"So…" Rory cleared her throat, "It's been a long time."

He smirked playfully and his eyes sparkled as he responded, "You're right Mary… it's been a looong time."

**Author's Note:** I hope you guys liked the second chapter! It will probably be a while before chapter 3, I have finals coming up. I hope this is clarified by now but Hannah and Lexi are Lorelai and Luke's daughters. Luke and Lorelai are married however Jess and Rory are not. If you want to know who Lorie's father is, you are just going to have to keep reading. Review please! Like i said before, if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask and I do not intend on changing any of the details of the past so if you notice any discrepancies PLEASE feel free to point them out.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** You know the drill. I don't own anything. I wish I were Amy Sherman-Palladino so that I could have full creative control over the Gilmore Girls. All of the brands/products/stores/movies etc. mentioned in this story belong to other people too.

**Chapter 3: We've Come So Far**

Lorelai, Luke, Hannah and Lexi stood crowded in the outdoor vestibule of the Gilmore mansion. The ride to Hartford had been agonizing. No one spoke. No one knew what to say. You could have cut the tension in the car with a knife. Each member of the Danes family was glad to be outside. It was like all of their emotional baggage was congested in a confined space for an hour and now that they were in the open, the baggage could flow out, easing the pressure everyone was feeling and allowing them to finally breathe.

This was Lorelai's favorite part of dinner. Mostly because it reminded her of the pre-dinner rants she often had with Rory back when Friday night dinner was obligatory. She paused for a moment before ringing the doorbell. She breathed in deeply, preparing herself for the drama that would ensue. The entire Gilmore clan had not been together in a long time and from previous experiences, everyone knew that getting the whole family together for dinner would only result in disaster.

"Are you going to ring the doorbell or are we just going to stand out here and freeze?" Hannah asked annoyed.

"O, stop being dramatic. Its barely November," Lexi barked back.

Lorelai and Luke shared a look. They both knew that this was going to be a long night.

"Girls, I know that you haven't been on the best terms lately, but can you just pretend to love each other in front of your grandparents," Luke said desperately as Lorelai rang the bell.

Emily opened the front door and sized up her daughter.

"Lorelai, you're here" She exclaimed somewhat surprised.

"Yes. Mom, of course I'm here." Lorelai stated the obvious as she and her family entered the house and handed the maid their coats.

"Well, you're almost half an hour late Lorelai. We were about to start without you"

Lexi could tell that her mother did not need the added stress of her grandmother's disapproval and decided to save her. "Hi grandma!" She said cheerily.

"Lexi! I heard from the dean that you are at the top of your class this quarter." Emily's voice was filled with pride.

"Well, there are still 2 kids ahead of me," Lexi explained bashfully. She was very modest when it came to her achievements.

"You have almost 4 years to surpass the others, you'll make it" Emily reassured her granddaughter. She continued to mentally assess her company and was amazed to find Hannah standing right in front of her.

"Hannah, how lovely to see you… you don't usually join us," she remarked.

"Well, Emily she's a teenage girl, she probably has more exciting things to do than to sit around with us," Richard chimed in. "Luke!" Richard happily welcomed his son-in-law.

"Hello Richard" Luke responded as they shook hands

"How is that diner of yours?" Richard asked with the best intentions.

But, before Luke could respond, Lorie came running in from living room "Grandma! Grandpa!" she cried out excitedly. She clung to Lorelai's leg and Lorelai responded by lovingly rubbing her back. Both Lorelai and Luke greeted their granddaughter and Luke picked her up and held her on his hip. Everyone began to move into the living room to continue small talk. Jess and Rory said hello to the Danes gang and Richard poured everyone the appropriate drink.

"Lorie was just telling us the most brilliant story about a poor little boy who wins a trip to visit a famous chocolatier in his magical factory," Emily gushed as everyone took their designated seats on the sofas.

"Mom, that's Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory." Lorelai explained, clearly annoyed by her mothers lack of knowledge in popular culture.

"Really?" Emily asked, dumbfounded.

"Its one of the greatest children's books of all time! Roald Dahl?" Lorelai couldn't believe they were even having this conversation.

"Yeah, Grandma. They even made two movies based off of it," Rory added.

"The new one with Johnny Depp gave me nightmares," said Lexi

"Tim Burton was probably on acid," Jess explained

"But Johnny Depp… two words, eye candy" Lorelai joked.

"Amen sister" Rory said. She and Lorelai clinked martini glasses in agreement.

"Lorie is this true?" Emily asked, still somewhat confused.

"Yeah… I was just tricking you, Nana," Lorie giggled innocently.

"Well, you were very convincing," Emily stated, trying to defend herself.

"Mom…" Lorelai began. If she learned anything over the years, it was to pick her battles with her mother wisely. She knew she could talk circles around Emily and although it would have been funny to see where the conversation would go, she decided it was easier to drop it. "Never mind" She sighed in defeat.

The family continued to catch up with each other and the evening got off to a surprisingly good start. When the maid du jour announced that dinner was ready, everyone hesitated to move to the dining room. Everything was going so well… why ruin it now?

xxx

After everyone was settled at the table and the maid had severed the salads, Rory loudly cleared her throat, drawing everyone's attention in her direction. Jess held out his hand and placed it on the table and Rory grasped it. They looked lovingly into each other's eyes. Everyone was desperate to know what was going on.

"Jess and I have an announcement to make," Rory said with a smile.

"Oh my God!" Emily exclaimed, bringing her hand on her chest "You're pregnant" She stated bluntly.

"No," Rory said, kind of amused at the idea.

"…You're getting married?" Lexi guessed after a few moments of silence.

"No," Jess responded, smiling at Rory. He wanted to marry her so badly. Sometimes he was afraid that he would crack and just blurt it out one day over coffee, but he wanted the proposal to be perfect. Mainly, he wanted the timing to be perfect.

"Well, out with it," Richard commanded.

"We are moving to Hartford," Rory announced matter-of-factly.

"Oh Rory, how wonderful!" Emily practically squealed in delight.

"What happened to wanting to see the world?" Lorelai asked, disappointed. She wanted big things for her daughter and she thought that moving back home would be a step in the wrong direction.

"I thought you liked New York?" Luke questioned. He found the decision a bit puzzling as well.

"Well, my publishing company decided to relocate, the city is getting ridiculously expensive," Jess explained in between bites of his salad.

"I'll call my friend Anderson Westcott, his son's in real estate I'm sure he can find something for you," Richard offered. He could see the hesitation in Rory's face, "Don't worry it will be something sensible," he reassured her.

"Thanks grandpa," Rory said sweetly.

"This is so great, we'll get to see you all the time." Lexi, like her grandparents, was thrilled with the idea. She loved spending time with Rory, Jess and Lorie. Everything they did was cute. They made life look so easy.

"I get to go to the same school as you and Hannah," Lorie proclaimed.

"Babe, don't you think she's a little too young to be at Chilton?" Lorelai asked Rory. She immediately thought about what a hard time all of her daughters had adjusting to the high school.

"Chilton has one of the finest elementary schools in the country," Emily said in Rory's defense.

"What are you trying to say Lorelai? You don't think that your own granddaughter deserves a proper education?" Richard joined in the argument.

"No! I'm just trying to say that Chilton is a very competitive environment and I would hate to be exposed to that at such a young age. It could hurt her," Lorelai explained.

"Nonsense, a little healthy competition never hurt anyone. Besides, she's a Gilmore she will thrive," Richard said proudly before either Rory or Jess could explain their decision.

"Well, she could take after Hannah and crack under the pressure" Lexi teased.

"Shut up!" Hannah kicked her younger sister under the table.

"Please, you got a D in English. How do you get a D in English? Its your native language," Lexi continued to torment. As soon as she said it, she felt like taking it back. It wasn't her place to announce her sister's shortcomings to the entire family. But then again, she did get kicked pretty hard.

"You got a D in English!" Lorelai repeated the information hoping that it was a mistake, that maybe she had just heard wrong.

"When were you planning on telling us this?" Luke asked.

"I don't know" Hannah grumbled.

"Your performance in school sets the tone for the rest of you life. Education is the foundation of excellence, you can't get very far in life if you don't take your school work seriously," Richard lectured.

"You should listen to your grandfather, he's right" Emily chimed in.

"Well, I just always thought that I would get pregnant, drop out of high school and become a maid, like mom" Hannah said bitterly as she shot a look of disgust at her mother.

"Lexi, why don't you take Lorie upstairs to play in my old room?" Rory asked.

"I always have to miss everything exciting!" Lorie pouted.

"I wouldn't worry about it," Lexi assured her niece, "There will be plenty more family feuds for you to witness when you get a little older." Lexi obeyed her sister's wishes, took Lorie by the hand and led her out of ground zero.

"Listen to me," Lorelai began, "You do _not_ get to talk to me like that." She got progressively louder as she continued. "You know that I worked hard to get to where I am today. Just because I made some mistakes as a kid, doesn't mean that you have a get out of jail free card". Lorelai's voice actually began to quiver. She was deeply upset and everyone could sense it. The adults remained silent, giving Lorelai looks of sympathy. Hannah looked down at her lap, trying with every fiber of her being to keep from yelling or crying in frustration. Lorelai carried on, "Do you know how lucky you are to have all of these opportunities? Do you know how much we have had to sacrifice to give you what you have?"

That was the last straw. She wasn't about to sit there and be reprimanded like a little child. Embarrassed and angry, Hannah remarked, "Oh please, Grandma and Grandpa pay for school. Don't give me this crap about sacrifices and hard work. You're such a hypocrite!"

"Hannah…" Luke warned.

"No, Dad. You two listen to me!" she yelled, "You run a diner and mom runs an inn. We live in this stupid little backwards town that still only has one traffic light. I don't want to hear all this crap about being a Gilmore. It means nothing. Everyone here is so fake it makes me sick!"

"That is enough!" Richard demanded as he pounded his fist on the table. The force caused the china and crystal glasses to clink against each other, startling everyone.

"It's ok, I'm done," Hannah said almost in a whisper as she got up from the table.

"Don't you think for a second that you are leaving this house without us!" Lorelai shouted.

"Fine!" Hannah yelled back as she stormed out of the room.

"Maybe we should go?" Rory asked awkwardly.

"I'll go upstairs and get Lorie," Jess offered.

"Thanks," Rory said, kissing him on the cheek as he left the table.

"I'm sorry, she's just been acting out lately," Luke tried to explain.

"Don't apologize Luke," Emily said supportively, "We all know that despite the finest upbringing, _some_ children just can't be controlled." The remark was clearly pointed her daughter. Emily was the queen of offering her disapproval under a veil of sympathy.

"Unbelievable!" Lorelai exclaimed slowly, stressing each syllable of the word. "You know mom," she went on, "just when I thought I could talk to you like a normal human being, you go and pull something like this."

"Something like what Lorelai? I was just being honest" Emily responded innocently.

"Do you understand how hard I am trying to get through to her?" Lorelai yelled, aggravated, "Everyday is a constant battle. She is sucking the life out of me! I just can't anymore…"

Lorelai looked across the table at her mother with tears welled up in her eyes. No one said anything, afraid that they would interfere with the cosmic shift that was taking place. For in that moment, Lorelai finally understood the motives of Emily Gilmore. She may act like the spawn of Satan, but Lorelai was the one who drove her to be that way.

Lorelai blinked and she could feel the coolness of her tears rolling down her face. She looked at her parents and tried deeply to apologize but she physically did not have the energy. Emily and Richard both bowed their heads in acknowledgement. They knew she understood and furthermore, they knew she was sorry. "We know Lorelai," Richard whispered, "It's alright… everything is going to be alright".

xxx

As Jess wandered the halls upstairs, he tried to imagine growing up in an environment like this. Everything looked so… unnecessarily expensive. He didn't want to touch anything in fear that he would break something and have to replace it. The Gilmore world was so different from his. They had maids, cloth napkins, and ten thousand dollar Persian rugs. "Who would spend that much money on a rug?" he thought, "You just walk on them and get them dirty". He couldn't remember exactly which room was Rory's so he slowly peered into the bedroom at the end of the hall. Inside, Hannah was frantically trying to wriggle open the glass door to the balcony. She stopped when she saw Jess enter the room. He just stood there trying to evaluate the situation. Lorie, he could handle. Honestly, what kind of trouble could a 6-year-old get into? This was out of his league. Hannah panicked she tried to think of a rational explanation.

"I uh, was just going to go outside for a smoke," She lied.

Jess raised his eyebrow, he didn't believe her for a second and Hannah knew it.

"You want one?" She offered as she rummaged around in her purse, "I know I have them in here somewhere."

"I haven't had a cigarette since I was 18" Jess stated, somewhat proud of himself.

"So then you're overdue." She tried to joke.

Jess realized why Luke was always so awkward around him when he had first moved to Stars Hollow. He had no idea what to even say to this girl. He understood how she was feeling but the words just weren't coming to his mouth.

"You should probably go," He finally said.

"Seriously?" She said looking up at him in disbelief.

"Well clearly, you have better things to do than say here and get chastised by the Gilmore clan."

"Thanks…" She began, nervously picked at her fingers "I just… I can't be here right now."

Jess nodded, he understood the feeling.

"Hey," he called out to Hannah as she opened the door, "I never saw you."

She smiled at him and continued her getaway.

Jess knew he was probably doing the wrong thing but he couldn't help it. Hannah reminded him so much of himself. He knew that even though Hannah seemed like she didn't care about anything, deep down she was just scared. By this time, Hannah was straddling the ledge of the balcony and the giant oak tree that she intended climb down for her escape.

"If you ever need anything," Jess called out to her again, "just…" he took a breath, searching for the right words, "you know where to find me."

**Author's Note:** I'm sorry that it took me so long to update. I'm done with finals as of right now so I can finally breathe and spend some time working on my baby. I love comments but I love constructive criticism even more! This was my hardest chapter to write so please review :) I know that you all want to know what the deal with Tristan is. Relax, the next chapter will explain I promise…


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